


Practical Magic

by PowerofMagic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 17:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14549295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PowerofMagic/pseuds/PowerofMagic
Summary: You and Sirius Black always enjoy bantering with each other. But what happens when you decide to help each other study?





	Practical Magic

**Author's Note:**

> So dears, this is my first little fic. It's an imagine, because that seemed like an easy place to start. Hope you enjoy!

Sirius Black gave an annoyed sigh and pushed his hair out of his face. It was rare to see Black in the library, and even more surprising to see him actually studying. You had noticed him sit down at the table next to yours almost immediately, and since his entrance into your peripheral vision he had become quite the distraction, with all his hair flopping and exasperated noises. You couldn’t tell exactly what he was reading, but clearly whatever it was had him frustrated.

“Those words too big for you, Black?” you asked. “I think they keep some early readers behind Madam Pomfrey’s desk. I’m sure you could ask her for them.”

Sirius just glared at you.

“Oh, sod off Y/N,” he said. “You know I can read. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be running circles around you in defense.”

You rolled your eyes. You and Sirius had bantered like this for years. You appreciated that he could be witty, and you were pretty sure he liked that you gave his sass right back to him.

“Defense is more practical magic than anything else,” you said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Potter teaches you without you having to read a bloody word. I already know that Peter writes all of your essays.”

“Wormtail is a fine bloke,” Sirius mumbled, looking back down at his book. “And, I would note, you didn’t argue about me getting higher marks in defense. Glad to see you at least have a bone of humility in your body.”

You scoffed and shook your head.

“Always delusions of grandeur.”

Sirius smirked then and looked up at you. “Always,” he said.

“Shhhh!” said Madam Pomfrey, shooting you both a look from her place behind the desk. You pretended to look abashed and mouthed a silent “sorry” in her direction. Then, you swooped up your book and your bag, and quickly redeposited them on the table where Sirius sat.

“I’m sorry, can I help you?” he said, watching as you sat down across from him.

“Well, let’s see it then.”

“Gosh Y/N, I never took you to be so forward. And in a public place! What will Madam Pomfrey think?” Sirius clutched at his heart with mock horror.

“Piss off, I mean that book that has you all annoyed. What is giving Sirius Black, wizard extraordinaire, such a hard time?”

Sirius wagged his eyebrows. “You know, I could give you a _hard_ time.”

“Gah, I’m starting to remember why I avoid you at all costs. Hand it over, Sirius. If you’re going to huff and puff so obviously in the library, and distract a girl from her own studying, you have to be ready to face the consequences.”

Sirius frowned and then pushed the open text over to you. You weren’t sure what you were expecting. While you liked to tease him, you knew that Sirius’s grades were actually really excellent. You weren’t sure how, since he spent most of his time goofing off, but you supposed coming from the ancient and most noble house of Black must have its advantages, one of them being an inherent knack for magic. Having come from a purely muggle household yourself, you couldn’t imagine what it must be like to grow up knowing everything about the world that you hadn’t even known existed until age 11. Still, you were surprised when the book was under your nose and what you came face-to-face with wasn’t some high-level transfiguration work or even an especially tricky potions theory, but instead a picture of a ruffled looking plant.

“Herbology, Sirius? Really?” you asked.

His frown deepened.

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant, I don’t think I even knew you were taking herbology. I don’t remember even seeing you in class…”

Sirius shot you a look that made you stop midsentence.

“Because you haven’t been coming to class. Seriously? What were you thinking? I mean, we’re halfway through term and I haven’t seen you in class at all!”

“I was there the first day,” he said, sounding bored. “But come on! Herbology is supposed to be a cake class! I didn’t think I was really missing much.”

“Some people take herbology because it’s actually useful, you know,” you said. “Do you know that there are plants that can help skin regrow? Plants that can clear up rashes, and be used to counteract enchantments?”

“Yes, yes, future healer, plants are important for you. So far, though, I still don’t see what makes them so interesting.”

You thought for a minute.

“There’s a plant that lets you breath underwater.”

Sirius perked up.

“Really?” he said. “No wonder Pomona is threatening to fail me. Even the cool ones I don’t know.”

“Professor Sprout is going to fail you? I didn’t think she’d ever failed anyone.”

“Well I’m not reading this book for the fun of it, now am I? Wanted to fail me immediately, to be honest, but Prongs convinced her to give me another chance so long as I know the material.” Sirius smiled sardonically and gestured to the book in front of you. “I have to pass a test on everything that’s been covered so far this year. So, if you don’t mind, I have…”

“Let me help you,” you blurted out, not entirely sure where it had come from. You could feel your face heating, and you snapped your head down to stare at the book, hoping Sirius hadn’t noticed. Taking a deep breath, and plastering a smirk on your face, you looked back up. “Come on Black. You’re a smart wizard, but you’re no herbologist. There’s no way you’re going to learn half a terms worth of material by yourself, especially not in…how long do you have?”

“A week.”

“Pfft, especially in a week. You may ‘run circles’ round me in defense, but you know I have the highest marks in our year in herbology.”

Sirius eyed you wearily.

“Why would you want to help me?” he said.

“Well, for starters, I can’t let you be the first student Professor Sprouts ever failed. Honestly, I think you’d end up taking pride in it and be even more of an ass.”

Sirius smirked. “I suppose I would find some way to see the bright side of the situation, yeah.”

“And maybe, once you pass, you could help me with some of the DADA work from the term? I’m having a hard time with the last counter curse we learned and I’m worried I can’t get the stance right.”

Sirius looked a bit taken aback, clearly shocked that you’d be willing to ask him for help on anything. But slowly he started nodding.

“Yeah, ok,” he said. “We’ll help each other. Sounds fair. Thanks Y/N. Tomorrow night?”

You smiled and nodded.

“But for the record, I can still run circles around you. Sexy circles. Naked circles,” Sirius said, wagging his eyebrows

“Ugh,” you cried, putting your face down on the book to hide your reddened cheeks again. “Why do I even bother?”

***

You had agreed to meet Sirius in the common room, but with midterm exams on the horizon it was already full when you arrived. A group of fourth years were sitting in front of the fire quizzing each other on potions ingredients. A couple of first years were standing by the windows, trying to get what you hoped was a chocolate frog to levitate.

“The library is probably full by now too,” you said.

“Don’t worry, I know where we can go,” said Sirius, taking your arm and pulling you through the portrait hole.

***

“Sirius, we could get in so much trouble,” you whispered, slipping behind him into the classroom and shutting the door.

“Nah, Minnie won’t care,” he said, setting his bag down on a nearby table in the empty transfiguration classroom. “And if she does show up, I’ll just explain you’re helping me not fail a class. Believe it or not, Y/N, she does like me some, you know. Tutoring might be one activity she actually approves of.”

“You’re so full of yourself,” you scoffed.

Sirius smiled. “Some would call it charming.”

“Some would call it buffoonery. Come on, let’s get started.”

You spent the next four evenings with Sirius in the transfiguration classroom, reviewing your notes and quizzing him on plants. To your surprise, he picked it up fairly quickly. And spending time with him was not as terrible as you liked to make him think it was.

“I hate to admit it, but I’m impressed, Black,” you said, setting down your book. “I honestly didn’t think you had it in you, but I think you’re actually going to pass this test.”

Sirius beamed and stuck his quill behind his ear. “Like I said, I am a genius. You really should just take me for my word at this point, Y/N.”

“Yeah, yeah, ok genius, let’s go over the list once more.”

You went to lift the book back up, but his large hand was suddenly covering yours. “Nope,” he said. “I’ve had enough herbology. Probably enough to last me the rest of my life. If we look at these notes for one more second, I think plants might start to grow out of my ears,” he tugged on his left lobe as if to demonstrate. “I may have devilishly good looks, but I don’t think even I could keep it up with mandrakes sprouting out of my head.”

“So what would you suggest?” you asked, terribly aware that his hand was still on top of your own. You hated to admit it to yourself, but Sirius wasn’t lying when he said he was handsome. Most girls in the school went mad for him, his gorgeous smile and his intense, grey eyes. You swore that his long dark hair looked like it would be softer than even yours, and a part of you really wanted to take it out of the bun he had messily put it in on top of his head so you could run your fingers through it. You even found his cocky, annoying attitude secretly appealing, although you’d never tell him that.

“Well, you need help with your counter curse stance, yeah? And we have this whole, big classroom to practice in.” He wrapped his fingers around yours and pulled you up out of your seat.

“So, let’s see what you’ve got. Wand out, come on.”

“Alright, alright,” you said, grabbing your wand and taking a steadying breath. You shook out your arms and tilted your neck to either side.

“I’m sorry, do you need to limber up a bit before you stop the next death eater that comes your way?”

“Oh quiet you, I just need a second to prep.”

“I haven’t got all night, y/l/n.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” you said. You tried to remember the picture from the book, moving your right foot a smidge back, raising your wand arm just so.

“Stop, stop,” he said. “Merlin, y/n, it’s a defensive spell, not a ballet!”

“Well, I’m trying to get it right! You heard Professor Medley, you have to get the stance just right or it won’t work.”

Sirius walked towards you, and you were ready for him to yell again, but instead he circled you, placing his hands on your waist.

“You have to feel a spell like this in your body,” he said, a bit quieter than he’d been before. “This kind of magic isn’t about memorizing facts or recognizing elements. You just have to _know_. It has to be instinct.”

“O-okay,” you said.

“Take a deep breath and close your eyes,” he said. His hands moving your waist an inch to the left, than grasping your right arm and lowering it just a touch. “Now, don’t think about it too much, just do it.”

“ _Protego_ ,” you said in a whisper.

“You have to mean it, Y/N,” Sirius said. His voice seemed close to your ear, his breath fanning across the back of your neck. “Don’t make me hex you to get it out of you.” He chuckled, and it snapped you out of whatever trance he had you in. His hands were still on your body, but you’d be damned if he bested you at this. You straightened your neck and opened your eyes, the soles of your feet shifting slightly as you focused all of your energy on the spell.

“ _Protego_ ,” you said again, louder this time. You could feel the energy flowing through you, the beginning of something coming from the tip of your wand. You knew it wasn’t at full strength, and would honestly probably not shield you from much, but it was still more than you had managed on your own.

You could almost hear the smile in Sirius’s voice when he said, “That a girl. Come on then, do it again.”

***

It took everything you had not to pace outside the greenhouses while Sirius took his test. Instead, you waited for him in the transfiguration classroom, practicing your defensive spells and hoping that you had reviewed everything enough for him to pass. He had laughed at you when you had threatened to cut off his hair if he failed the class.

“You wouldn’t touch these glorious locks!” he had all but shouted on his way out the door. “And I won’t fail, I had an excellent tutor.”

Still, you were anxious for him. You weren’t focusing very well and you were having a hard time getting your wand to cooperate, even with easy defense spells.

“Come on,” you said to yourself, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes. “Focus.”

You took your stance, less ridged than it would have been a week ago, and raised your wand hand. But just as you went to cast the spell, you felt something heavy land on your shoulder. Startled, you turned and cast the spell that had been on the tip of your tongue already.

“ _Protego!”_

Your wand pulsated with energy, and you could feel the shield, stronger than you’d ever produced, pulsating out of the tip of your wand and projecting outward. You almost laughed. It had actually worked! It took only a moment, though, for you to realize that whatever, or more importantly, whoever, had come up behind you was now sprawled several feet away on the floor.

“Sirius! Oh crap, oh no.” You ran towards the dark haired boy, kneeling next to his very still body. “Sirius?” You reached for his arm, and just as you wrapped your hand around him, you heard a loud, raucous laughter. The boy in front of you was laughing so hard he was shaking, his body twisting to the side, pushing you over with him as he went.

“Holy crap Sirius, you scared me half to death!” you said. Except instead of threatening, like you had hoped to sound, the words came out high and light as you started to join him in his infections laughter. The two of you lay there, giggling like idiots for several minutes more. Finally, when he could catch his breath, Sirius smiled at you.

“That was awesome, Y/N!” he said. “Don’t have to worry about you getting caught off-guard in a dark alley anymore, that’s for sure. Although apparently I should watch my back.”

“Well, you startled me! But oh my gosh, I actually did it!”

“You did at that. And, you’ll be happy to know, that you’ll have to keep studying with my sorry arse for the rest of the term, because I will be continuing my illustrious herbology career. Though I expect I’ll still need a tutor.”

“You passed!” you said, throwing your arms around his neck in a hug. “Oh Sirius, congratulations!”

Sirius chuckled, and you felt it vibrate through your body, realizing how close you were to him, still stretched out on the floor. You blushed, pulling back a bit, expecting to see his telltale smirk. But to your surprise, there was a look of fondness in his eyes. 

“Thank you, Y/N. Really. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

You felt your blush spreading, down your neck and across your chest. It was like your whole body was on fire.

“Of course,” you said. “What are friends for?”

“Friends, huh?” he said. “I don’t know, Y/N, my original offer still stands. Although with that shield, maybe you’ll be running circles around me soon.”

“Sexy, naked circles?”

Sirius guffawed, pulling you in closer.

“If I could only be so lucky,” he said, before his lips crashed against your own.  


End file.
